Abstract

The study investigated the participation of women in community welfare programmes of oil companies in the Niger Delta. The hypotheses, FGD and oral interview addressed the extent of awareness and method of participation of these women and if these programmes have improved the welfare of these women through their participation in the design and execution of community projects. It assumes that sustainable development of oil producing communities can best be achieved through women participation in the design and execution of development projects. A descriptive survey design of ex-post facto was used in conducting the study using questionnaire administered on 762 randomly selected women from the eight communities under study. 256 female participated in the FGD sessions while 40 women leaders were interviewed. Thus a total of 1058 women were used for the study. Two Hypotheses were raised in the study. Data were analyzed using percentages, frequency counts and chi-square. The results showed that the improved welfare of women in oil producing communities in the Niger Delta is to a large extent dependent on their participation not only at the identification and planning of the projects but also at the execution stage. The research concludes that women participation in the design and execution of community project will result in sustainable development and improved welfare of women in oil producing communities. It therefore recommends that greater participation of women should be encouraged by oil producing companies for better and improved welfare of women.